Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Office for Nuclear Regulation: Security

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons behind the rise in notifications of security incidents to the Office for Nuclear Regulation in 2021, to more than double than the number in 2018.

Lord Callanan: Nuclear security is a top priority for the Government and all civil nuclear operators are answerable to the independent Office for Nuclear Regulation, which enforces robust security requirements and reporting obligations. The vast majority (80-90%) of the incidents reported were minor breaches of operators’ arrangements and ONR’s analysis indicates that the rise reflects improvements in security awareness, culture and reporting, rather than a decline. ONR strongly encourages operators to report all minor matters as this provides the regulator with rich regulatory intelligence and enables trend monitoring.

Energy: Generators

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure energy consumers benefit fromlow carbon energy generators paying back the difference between market price and strike price under Contracts for Difference; and how much money has been paid back to date.

Lord Callanan: The Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC), which administers Contracts for Difference (CfD), carries out a financial reconciliation of the scheme’s accounts at the end of each fiscal quarter. In April of this year, the LCCC returned £108.3m to British suppliers in respect of repayments made by generators since last autumn. Repayments to suppliers should ultimately be reflected in the tariffs they offer their customers. This is a commercial decision for each supplier.

Renewable Energy

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have toincrease the overall limit on the capacity of renewable energy generation at auctions.

Lord Callanan: On 20th May, the Government increased the budget available to offshore wind projects in the fourth Contracts for Difference allocation round by £10m to £210m. While there are maximum limits on how much onshore wind and solar can be successful in the auction, there are no limits on the capacity of other technologies, including offshore wind.

Transport: Electricity

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to ensure that energy infrastructure is sufficient in all regions to support the uptake of electrified transport.

Lord Callanan: Through the recently published EV Infrastructure Strategy, the Government set out roles and responsibilities for local authorities and Distribution Network Operators to provide a comprehensive network of charge points. £2.5 billion of Government funding has been committed to the EV transition since 2020, over £1.6 billion of which will be used to support charging infrastructure. This includes £500m to support local charge point provision and £950m to unlock electricity network capacity to deliver 6,000 ultra-rapid charge points at motorway service areas and major A roads by 2035. The upcoming price control for electricity distribution will enable network companies to ready the electricity network for the increase in charge point deployment.

Carbon Emissions: Local Government

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have tomandate the creation of net-zero transition plans from councils.

Lord Callanan: As outlined in the Net Zero Strategy, the Government does not believe that a new general statutory requirement is needed for Local Authorities to deliver net zero. The Government has no plans to mandate the creation of net zero-transition plans.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Members: Codes of Practice

Lord Pendry: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether he will table a motion to propose amendments to the Code of Conduct to allow Members of the House who are found by the Commissioners for Standards to have broken the Code to have a right of verbal appeal against any (1) report, or (2) sanction, against them.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: I have consulted the Chair of the Conduct Committee in preparing this answer.The Guide to the Code of Conduct gives members a full right of appeal against the findings of the Commissioners for Standards. In March 2020 the House agreed that the Conduct Committee should, having considered any written appeal, be authorised to decide whether an in-person hearing is necessary. I have no plans to invite the Conduct Committee to look again at this issue.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Nuclear Disarmament and Proliferation

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, both in the UN and with bilateral partners, to assess the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on support for the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, ahead of the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to be held in New York in August.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Ministers and senior officials regularly engage in the UN and with our international partners on matters relating to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The NPT has, for the last 50 years, been the cornerstone of international efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, create a nuclear weapon free world and enable access to the peaceful use of nuclear technology.The UK was part of the G7 Non Proliferation Directors Group Statement on 9 May, which strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and reaffirmed the G7's commitment to strengthening the NPT and existing nuclear security architecture. The UK looks forward to working with all states to strengthen the NPT at the upcoming Tenth Review Conference this August.

Lebanon: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the national elections in Lebanon on 15 May, what steps they are taking to help to support the formation of a new government in that country in order thatit can take steps to comply with all the conditions necessary to unlock IMF funding, as outlined in the Agreement on Economic Policies with Lebanon for a Four-Year Extended Fund Facility (7 April); and what targeted humanitarian aid they are providing to avert the further deterioration of the situation in that country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We welcomed the holding of parliamentary elections on 15 May. Lebanon's new Members of Parliament must now put aside their differences to work together in the interests of the Lebanese people. We urge the new parliament to proceed urgently to form an inclusive government that is empowered to take forward the essential reform agenda, including finalising the agreement with the International Monetary Fund, to get Lebanon on the path to recovery. Since 2011, the UK has allocated over £787 million in humanitarian and development funding to Lebanon to support Syrian refugees and other vulnerable people, including Lebanese. The UK and members of the International Support Group for Lebanon stand with the people of Lebanon in their time of need, but we are clear that Lebanon's leaders must implement a credible reform process as the only sustainable way to address the ongoing crisis.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the current political situation in Pakistan; and what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to help Pakistan’s coalition government to promote stability and avoid violence, in view of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments asking for new elections and assertingforeign intervention in the forming of the new coalition government.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The change in government was a domestic matter for Pakistan. We respect Pakistan's democratic system, and do not interfere in its domestic political affairs. We will continue to work with the Government of Pakistan to advance our shared priorities and interests, including the promotion of national and regional stability.

Afghanistan: Children

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to tackle acute child malnutrition across the world, and particularly in Afghanistan; and what assessment they have made of the UNICEF report Child Alert: Severe Wasting, published in May, which said that "a record 1.1 million children in Afghanistan are projected to need life-saving treatment for severe wasting this year, nearly double the number in 2018".

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to be deeply concerned over the high levels of global acute child malnutrition, with over 60 million children expected to experience wasting in 2022. As highlighted in the recent UNICEF Child Alert, the UK has been at the forefront of tackling this devastating condition which not only takes lives but also leaves children with lifelong disabilities. The UK has historically been the largest funder for treatment of child wasting, providing roughly one quarter of all financing for wasting. In September 2020 the FCDO launched a 5-year partnership with UNICEF to drive improvements to the prevention and treatment of child wasting.Levels of acute malnutrition in Afghanistan are particularly concerning, with 1.1 million children expected to require life-saving treatment for severe wasting this year. In response the UK has pledged a further £286 million for Afghanistan, the majority of which will go towards life-saving humanitarian assistance. A priority focus is emergency food assistance and nutrition services through key partners, including UNICEF and the World Food Programme. This support is expected to reach over 4 million people with a focus on vulnerable women and children.

UN Commission on Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan aboutthe report Unequal Citizens - Ending Systematic Discrimination Against Minorities, publishedby the NationalCommission onHuman Rights inMay2022; and what steps they are taking to prevent the practicesanalysedin the publication.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The National Commission on Human Rights' report highlights the challenges faced by Pakistani minorities in accessing government roles and the poor conditions they often face as low-paid sanitation workers. The UK regularly raises concerns regarding the protection of minorities at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. Our programme funding seeks to reinforce these messages and to address the underlying causes. The Coalition for Religious Equality and Inclusive Development (CREID), a UK Government-funded multi-country programme, has implemented a project in Pakistan to protect minorities who work as sewage and sanitation workers. We will continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to guarantee the rights of all people, particularly the most vulnerable.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Yemen to persuade them (1) to resolve their conflict, and (2) to not resume fighting on 1 June.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK welcomes the extension on 2 June of the UN-brokered truce in Yemen and urges the parties to continue dialogue towards a durable ceasefire and an inclusive political settlement under UN auspices. After over seven long years of conflict, a negotiated political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and to end the humanitarian suffering. The UK continues to use its diplomatic relations and role as penholder on Yemen in the UN Security Council to support efforts to towards political dialogue and peace. Minister Cleverly discussed UK support for peace efforts with Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak on 1 April and with the Head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al Alimi on 12 May. The UK Ambassador to Yemen met members of the Presidential Leadership Council in Aden on 23 May.Updates from the Office of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Yemen are published at https://osesgy.unmissions.org/

South Sudan: Armed Conflict

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the escalation of conflict in the Abyei Administrative Area since March.

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of recent incidents of (1) gender-based violence, and (2) missing children, in the Abyei Administrative Area.

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to address the resource constraints of major aid organisations, including the World Food Programme, operating in the Abyei Administrative Area.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Minister for Africa is concerned at recent violence in Abyei, including reports of gender-based violence and missing children. We expressed our concerns at the violence at the UN Security Council on 21 April and underscored the continued need for the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), mandated to provide protection of civilians and facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid. Over the past year, the UN Security Council has ensured that UNISFA's mandate better equips the mission to respond quickly to security incidents and to place greater emphasis on community engagement.We are working with the UN and the humanitarian community in Sudan and South Sudan to address humanitarian needs in Abyei. As part of this, in 2021 we contributed £27 million to the humanitarian response in Sudan via partners, including the World Food Programme. This year in South Sudan we will reach 2 million people with some form of humanitarian assistance and support 400,000 girls to access education, including in the Abyei region. We also continue to call on the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to allow humanitarian actors to deliver aid to those in need in all parts of Abyei, without hindrance.

Dame Rosalind Marsden

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Sudan about its decision not to renew a visa for Dame Rosalind Marsden, a former British Ambassador and EU Representative to Sudan.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: As publicly stated by our Ambassador in Khartoum on 23 May, we are disappointed that the Sudanese authorities have chosen not to renew the visa for Dame Rosalind Marsden. The decision is unfortunate especially given the request of the Sudanese authorities for the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), and its partners to devote more attention to support for peacebuilding. In her capacity as a senior consultant to the UN in Sudan since July 2021, Dame Marsden has been supporting a series of integrated peacebuilding assessments, intended to help UN Agencies and partners design and prioritise needs for support at the state level and Juba Peace Agreement implementation and monitoring.

China: Solomon Islands

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the recent security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands, what steps they will take in conjunction with the governments of (1) Australia, and (2) the United States, to assist (a) Figi, (b) Papua New Guinea, and (c) other small Pacific island states, in response to any strategic plan from the government of China covering police and cybersecurity measures and marine spatial mapping.

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with democratic allies in the Pacific region to offer improved assistance on a range of measures to match or better those being offered by China to small independent nations in the Pacific.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As set out in the Integrated Review (March 2021), the UK is committed to and strategically focussed on the Indo-Pacific region. The UK's close partnership with the US, Australia, New Zealand, and other likeminded partners such as Japan, across the region, is an important part of our Indo-Pacific focus and ambitions to build a 'network of liberty' that champions freedom, sovereignty and democracy across the region and globally. The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary visited Australia in January 2022 for talks to strengthen economic, diplomatic and security ties. On 8 March David Quarrey, the UK's previous Deputy National Security Adviser and the US' Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell, announced that the US and the UK will work together to invest in partnerships with the Pacific Islands.

Ministry of Defence

Scots Guards: Uniforms

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the London Scottish Hodden Grey tartan was replaced when the London Scottish regiment adopted the dress of the Scots Guards; and whether this was consistent with the undertaking in the previous defence review concerning further cap badge losses from regiments.

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any forecast of the impact on the numbers of recruits to the London Scottish Regiment following the change in uniform from Highland dress to the uniform of the Scots Guards.

Baroness Goldie: Under Future Soldier, the London Regiment redesignated as 1st Battalion London Guards on 1 May 2022. As part of this change, the four companies within the Regiment have adopted the name, cap badge and dress of their new affiliated Regular Regiment. In the case of A (London Scottish) Company which redesignated as G (Messines) Company, it has become the Reserve Company of the Scots Guards and has adopted the cap badge and dress of this regiment. Whilst there has not been a forecast of the impact on recruitment, the redesignation should provide the soldiers in G (Messines) Company with more opportunities to deploy on operations and exercises alongside their regular counterparts. Coupled with the Guards brand, it is therefore expected that there will be a positive impact on recruitment and retention.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food Poverty: Ministers

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to appoint a Food Poverty Minister.

Lord Benyon: Victoria Prentis is the Minister responsible for food, working with industry to make sure food is available to buy. Defra is working with other Government departments on food policy and food insecurity, including the Department for Education on school meals and the Department for Work and Pensions on the welfare system, to ensure a government-wide approach to tackling pressures facing low-income households.

Agriculture: Tax Allowances

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have tointroduce tax incentives for farmers that redistribute food.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: This Government has taken significant steps to boost the redistribution of food. Since 2017 Defra has awarded £12m in grants to the redistribution sector, including to access food surplus from farms. This has provided important infrastructure such as warehousing, vehicles, fridges and freezers to support the sector for years to come. Since UK-level data was first reported in 2015, overall levels of redistribution have increased three-fold.We have no specific plans to introduce tax incentives at present.

Northern Ireland Protocol

Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in (1) costs, and (2) checks, of transporting livestock from Northern Ireland to Great Britain and back since the introduction of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and what steps they intend to take to reduce those costs.

Lord Benyon: The UK Government has not formally assessed the costs associated with the movements and checks of transporting livestock between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK Government does consider that the introduction of the protocol has had an effect on the costs involved in moving livestock between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK Government has therefore secured a derogation from EU rules for livestock moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain for shows and sales. The derogation allows livestock to return to Northern Ireland within 15 days, which has reduced costs and burdens to traders.

Northern Ireland: Animal Welfare

Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the requirement for animals transported from Great Britain to Northern Ireland (1) to go to an approved export centre prior to transport, and (2) to remain there for six months while being tested and health certified; and what steps they are taking to reduce these requirements.

Lord Benyon: The Northern Ireland Protocol requires animals to attend approved assembly centres for a maximum of 6 days once they have remained in Great Britain for a period of 3-6 months, or from birth, depending on the reason for the movement to Northern Ireland.The UK Government continues to discuss these extra burdens with the EU in an effort to reduce requirements.

Assistance Animals: UK Relations with EU

Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to negotiate, under the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the removal of the bureaucratic barriers and costs facing the owners of guide dogs and other assistance dogs entering the EU, including the expense of animal health certificates and other measures imposed following the UK's departure from the EU.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK has been formally 'listed' as a 'Part 2' third country for the purposes of the EU pet travel scheme, which means that new rules apply to pet movements from Great Britain to the EU and to Northern Ireland. The pet health and documentary requirements for such pet travel are set out under the EU Pet Travel Regulations.Defra recognises the impact that these changes are having on pet owners and assistance dog users. We are continuing to seek agreement from the European Commission on awarding Great Britain 'Part 1' listed status and recognition of the UK's tapeworm-free status, and we see no valid animal health reason for these not to be granted.We have one of the most rigorous pet checking regimes in Europe to protect our biosecurity and we are currently planning for further engagement with the EU to progress both of these issues. Achieving these would alleviate a number of pet travel rules for all travellers, including the need for an Animal Health Certificate (AHC). The costs of completing and issuing an AHC are commercial decisions, set by individual veterinary practices.We are proactively engaging with the assistance dog community and relevant stakeholders on the impacts on dog movements from Great Britain to the EU. We will continue to work closely with assistance dog organisations to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members on pet travel requirements.

Food: Waste

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental advantages that could be attained by the introduction to England of regulations similar to the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012, which require that some food businesses take steps to present their food waste for separate collection.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012, require some Scottish businesses to have separate food waste collections. The Government’s proposed reforms, set out in the Environment Act, go further, requiring all English non-household municipal premises that produce food waste to have it collected separately. We conducted a recent consultation on consistent collections to consider the implementation of this measure, the results of which will be published in due course.

Home Office

Visas

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of other visa routes inaddition to the Tier 1 (Investor) Visa route which might also be vulnerable to (1) national security, or (2) illicit finance, risks; and, if no such assessment has been made, whether they will now conduct one.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office continually monitors the immigration system to mitigate any national security and other risks.

Detention Centres: Visits

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many in-person legal visits took place under the Detained Duty Advice Scheme (DDAS) between 1 January and 31 March at (1) Brook House, (2) Tinsley House, (3) Yarl's Wood, (4) Dungavel, (5) Harmondsworth, (6) Colnbrook, and (7) Derwentside, immigration removal centres (IRC); and how many in-person legal visits have taken place under the DDAS at each of these IRCs since 1 April.

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many in-person legal visits in total took place between 1 January and 31 March at (1) Brook House, (2) Tinsley House, (3) Yarl's Wood, (4) Dungavel, (5) Harmondsworth, (6) Colnbrook, and (7) Derwentside, immigration removal centres (IRC); and how many in-person legal visits in total have taken place at each of these IRCs since 1st April 2022.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an Immigration Removal Centre (IRC).The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. There is no restriction on the number of surgeries an individual may attend. If an individual who is detained requires substantive advice on a matter which is in scope of legal aid, full legal advice can be provided if the statutory legal aid means and merits criteria are met.Legal visits can take place from both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention. In line with Government advice on social distancing, during the pandemic, face to face legal visits were facilitated in exceptional circumstances, and only if other means of contact (Skype, telephone, email) were not feasible or appropriate. In light of changes to Government guidance, face to face legal visits can now be facilitated. Safe systems of work are in place to ensure the safety of detained individuals, onsite staff and visitors during these visits.The number of in-person legal visits, which includes both legal providers attending under the Legal Aid Detained Duty Advice Scheme and other legal providers visiting their clients who are in detention, that took place between 1 January and 26 May 2022, is set out in the table below:In person legal visits Detained Duty Advice SchemeTotal: all other in-person legal visits* 1 January– 31 March 20221 April 2022 to date1 January– 31 March 20221 April 2022 to dateBrook House4109022Colnbrook002555Derwentside0041DungavelN/A21Harmondsworth0034111Tinsley House0000Yarl’s Wood6113628 *Does not include in-person legal visits carried out under the DDA Scheme This is provisional Home Office management information that has not been assured to the standard of official statistics.

Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre: Females

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any detention capacity for women is currently available at Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre; if not,whether they plan to make such capacity available; and if so, when.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The immigration removal estate is kept under ongoing review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient capacity, in the right places and that it provides value for money.The Home Office opened Derwentside immigration removal centre (IRC) for women in November 2021. We plan to supplement the new IRC by continuing to provide some detention capacity for women at Colnbrook, Dungavel and Yarl’s Wood IRCs. We have already completed design work to ensure the women’s space at Yarl’s Wood will be entirely separate from male resident space and we are planning to transition part of the Yarl’s Wood site back to an immigration removal centre for around 60 women. We will open the refurbished accommodation in late summer.In order to meet operational needs and demands, we will continue to operate the immigration removal estate, including Yarl’s Wood, in a flexible manner and in line with the STHF Rules 2018 and the Detention Centre Rules 2001, as appropriate.

Refugees: Disability

Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so how, they are assessing the numbers of refugees with disabilities arriving in the UK.

Lord Harrington of Watford: The Home Office provides resettlement solely on the basis of needs, identified by UNHCR. Details of a refugee’s vulnerabilities and additional needs are captured by UNHCR and provided to the Home Office in order to assist us securing resettlement with a local authority.Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Information requested which is not contained within this published data is not routinely captured. To capture numbers would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Refugees: Ukraine

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of Ukrainians who have left Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion of that country; and how many have settled in the UK to date.

Lord Harrington of Watford: Information on the number of arrivals can be found in our published Homes for Ukraine data: Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: Visa data by country, upper and lower tier local authority - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and under the Homes For Ukraine and Ukrainian Family Scheme data lists: Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme (Homes for Ukraine) visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Summary table: data as received from the Home Office as at 7 June 2022LocationSponsorNumber of visa applicationsNumber of visas issuedNumber of arrivals in the UK by sponsor locationEnglandSponsored by individuals69,06562,66240,085Northern IrelandSponsored by individuals1,159993231ScotlandSponsored by individuals3,6913,3482,035 Sponsored by the Scottish Government9,1708,1832,236 Total12,86111,5314,271WalesSponsored by individuals2,8392,5381,609 Sponsored by the Welsh Government3,1162,693590 Total5,9555,2312,199Notes to the summary table1. These data are provisional management information from live operational systems and are subject to change. The data have not gone through the same levels of quality assurance as official statistics. Total Ukraine Scheme visa applications received: 154,500Data is as of 7 June 2022 and comprised of:Ukraine Family Scheme: 47,300Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: 107,200Total Ukraine Scheme visas issued to people: 124,400Data is as of 7 June 2022 and comprised of:Ukraine Family Scheme visas: 41,000Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme visas: 83,400Total arrivals of Ukraine Scheme visa-holders in the UK: 70,500Data is as of 6 June 2022 and comprised of:arrivals via Ukraine Family Scheme: 24,000arrivals via Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: 46,500

Refugees: Ukraine

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they can provide regarding the delay in granting a Permission to Travel Letter to Ukrainian refugee Reference: GWF064289249, given that the two children of this individual have received theirPermission to Travel Letters.

Lord Harrington of Watford: We can confirm a permission to travel letter has been issued.

Biometric Residence Permits: Afghanistan

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average delay time in issuingBiometric Residence Permit cards to refugees from Afghanistan.

Lord Harrington of Watford: Over 15,000 people were supported to come to the UK directly following the evacuation of Afghanistan, with a further 3,000 having arrived since.As we continue to grant people indefinite leave to remain in the UK, their BRPs are automatically issued, usually within a few weeks.

Visas: Ukraine

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases there are in which Ukrainian family members have not been dealt with by UKVI as one group, resulting in children being granted visas but not their parent, or vice versa; and what assessment theyhave made of whether children in such circumstances are more vulnerable to traffickers.

Lord Harrington of Watford: Information on the number of visas granted under the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: Ukraine Schemes: application data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).Information requested that is not contained within this published data is not routinely captured. To capture numbers would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thecauses ofthe disparity between the numbers of visas granted to Ukrainian refugees on the Homes for Ukraine scheme and arrivals in the UK to date.

Lord Harrington of Watford: There are various reasons why Ukrainians are waiting before travelling to the UK. We know through our partners on-the-ground that some people have applied for visas so they have the option of travelling to the UK but are currently staying elsewhere, for example in countries near the border so they can get back to Ukraine more quickly. Others may have applied to a UK scheme but then decided to stay where they are or travel elsewhere.

Devolution: North of England

Lord Inglewood: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they are proposing to ensure that those living in the north of England in locations where there is no devolution deal do not lose out compared to those in areas where there is a devolution deal.

Lord Greenhalgh: In the Levelling Up White Paper, Government set itself a mission to ensure that by 2030, every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal with powers at or approaching the highest level of devolution, with a simplified, long-term funding settlement.Devolution must be locally led, not imposed by Government. Areas without a devolution deal are able to consider whether seeking one would maximise opportunities for citizens, and we believe that the local government reorganisation process that Cumbria and North Yorkshire are currently going through will enable them to find the best governance arrangements for their locality.While further devolution across the UK is a key Levelling Up mission, it is one of 12 missions and those areas that are not currently involved in devolution discussions will not miss out on Levelling Up activities. Places in the North without a devolution deal are still able to capitalise on growth funds such as the Levelling Up Fund, round two of which is currently open, and will receive their UKSPF allocations following the submission of their investment plans this summer.

Freeports: Northern Ireland

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they are making to identify a freeport in Northern Ireland; and whether they still plan to identify one.

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland is an obstacle to establishing a freeport within Northern Ireland.

Lord Greenhalgh: The UK Government is committed to extending the Freeports programme to Northern Ireland as soon as possible. Our priority is to ensure we provide the best possible offer for Northern Ireland. We will make sure it is a competitive one that attracts businesses.